With all the aftermath of the Japan's great earthquake, Japanese business news continues to make headlines despite the humanitarian needs of the island nation. Aside from the expected production-halting in the Japanese automotive industry, Apple has interestingly (and sensitively) delayed it launching of the iPad 2 as the country obviously "has other things on its mind right now."
In a public statement, Apple stated that "Our hearts go out to the people of Japan, including our employees and their families who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy" and also reported that all of its Japanese employees are safe.
While I'm sure that the launching delay was somewhat motivated by the risk of slow sales in Japan due to the earthquake (compare to the iPad 2, which sold more than 1 million units in it's first week in the U.S.), I am convinced that the delay was also due to some empathetic VPs and solid PR at Apple. I am so glad that, despite cash being king, concern for other humans still trumps all--even in the business world, occasionally. --Philip Volmar
